The upcoming bout between Ronda
Rousey and Miesha Tate
has drawn plenty of attention toward women’s mixed martial arts. On
April 28, the Invicta Fighting Championships will attempt to take
things a step further with the launch of its all-female fight
series.

The promotion officially announced its first event on Monday, an
11-bout card headlined by a rematch of a 2008 bout between former
Strikeforce
135-pound champion Marloes
Coenen and Romy
Ruyssen. Coenen defeated Ruyssen via rear-naked choke in their
first meeting, the only defeat of the Frenchwoman’s six-fight
career.

Coenen last competed in at
Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Henderson” where she
relinquished her title to Tate after submitting to an arm-triangle
choke in the fourth round. The 30-year-old Golden Glory
representative has finished 14 of her 19 bouts by submission.

“I am honored to headline Invicta’s first fight card, and I am
looking forward to earning another win over Romy,” Coenen stated in
a release.

Ruyssen has won four straight since falling to Coenen, with each
triumph coming via first-round submission. Most recently she forced
Florence
Berthe to tap out to a guillotine last November.

“Marloes is a great fighter, but she doesn’t quite have the ground
game that I have. I am going to take her down and finish her,”
Ruyssen said.

An export of Reign MMA, Penne has been out of action since she
defeated Amy Davis with
a rear-naked choke in November 2010. Five of the Laguna Hills,
Calif., native’s eight career triumphs have come by way of tap
out.

The Invicta Fighting Championships are spearheaded by promotion
vice president Shannon Knapp, who recently worked as head of
fighter relations and in matchmaking with Strikeforce.

“The time has come for a platform dedicated exclusively to building
the growing women’s division in our great sport,” Knapp said.
“Invicta is committed to increasing the depth of the women’s field
and building female superstars by providing women athletes with the
opportunity to compete and hone their skills on a consistent basis
throughout the year.”